Stephan Potopnyk

Yuna Kim

This week we celebrate two important announcements: Yuna Kim's return to world competition, and Carolina Kostner's decision to continue competing.

Yuna Kim: A Queen in Waiting

As a relatively unknown youngster at the 2005 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, Kim was one of two ladies who caught both the fans and judges' attention alike.

The other skater, Japan's Mao Asada who claimed gold at the event, would end up becoming Kim's strongest rival on the road to Vancouver.

Both skaters shifted the focus towards Asia, helping to make skating one of the biggest spectator sports in that part of the world.

Kim's raw jumping ability was already present at age 14. What was more astonishing, however, was her effortless ability to interpret lush and powerful orchestrations. Skating to Michel Legrand's "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" from the Yentl soundtrack, Kim demonstrated a spiritual connection that simply cannot be taught.

That day in Kitchener, as the eventual winner of the silver medal, she was the music.

Carolina Kostner: Italy’s Golden Girl

Making her senior debut at the 2003 European Championships in Malmo, Sweden, Carolina Kostner gave a dazzling technical display to music which included John Williams' career masterpiece, "Schindler's List."

In the wake of Sarah Hughes' unexpected Olympic triumph the previous year, the Italian youngster also featured two triple-triple combinations, indicating that she was ready to push the jumping boundaries of ladies' competitive skating.

Combining speed and attack, Kostner flies across the ice, a vision of unbridled confidence and youthful enthusiasm.